November 25, 2009

UK calf herd drops three percent in Jan-Sept

The total number of calves registered in Britain during January to September of 2009 has declined by three percent to 2.07 million head, according to figures by the British Cattle Movement Society.

The decline was attributed to a seven percent year-on-year decline in beef calf registrations. Beef heifers fell six percent and bull calf registrations dropped seven percent.

In contrast, dairy calves registration increased by more than seven percent on-year. But this group accounts only for 29 percent of total calf registrations. Dairy bull calf registrations rose nine percent to 608,000 head, the largest year-on-year increase.

EBLEX said tight supplies of prime cattle had resulted in processors looking to black-and-white bull calves to fill the shortfall in supplies. In October, young bull slaughterings were 12-percent above a year earlier and auction markets have reported higher prices throughout much of 2009.

Black-and-white bull calves averaged GBP45 (US$74.7) a head between January and October 2009, well above the GBP28 (US$46.5) a head in the same period during 2008.